Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said that the BRI initiative does not involve territorial and maritime disputes unlike what India has understood of it.
The recent resignations of its seniormost judges are among the most pointed institutional protests Pakistan has witnessed since the lawyers’ movement of the late 2000s.
Without a Congress revival, there can be no challenge to the BJP pan-nationally. Modi’s party is growing, and almost entirely at the cost of the Congress.
At a future date, when there is more trust between the two sides, the issue could be reconsidered. India’s concerns on the status of PoK could be suitably addressed by way of formal protocols / caveats to the documentation. Equally important are concerns India has raised about the viability of projects, debt servicing becoming burdensome, etc. China has first hand experience of some of these fears coming true, with Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Maldives. CPEC itself at the moment rests at $ 20 billion, one third of the initial planning, because Pakistan’s fragile economy cannot handle so much high cholesterol. Other things being equal, China would find many more viable projects to finance and execute in India than in Pakistan.
At a future date, when there is more trust between the two sides, the issue could be reconsidered. India’s concerns on the status of PoK could be suitably addressed by way of formal protocols / caveats to the documentation. Equally important are concerns India has raised about the viability of projects, debt servicing becoming burdensome, etc. China has first hand experience of some of these fears coming true, with Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Maldives. CPEC itself at the moment rests at $ 20 billion, one third of the initial planning, because Pakistan’s fragile economy cannot handle so much high cholesterol. Other things being equal, China would find many more viable projects to finance and execute in India than in Pakistan.